FRIENDS & ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
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View archives of our most recent issues of the Friends & Alumni Newsletter below.
May 2013: WCC, WWU Offer New Four-Year CISS Degree
Whatcom and Western Partner to Offer New Cybersecurity Bachelor Degree
Whatcom Community College and Western Washington University's College of Sciences and Technology are partnering to offer a new pathway to a baccalaureate degree in Computer and Information Systems Security (CISS). WCC will offer a new two-year Associate in Applied Science - Transfer degree in Cybersecurity, which will allow graduates to continue their education at Western for two years to earn the CISS baccalaureate degree. This new program is designed to provide students and IT professionals the opportunity to continue their education to the bachelor's degree level in the emergent industry of computer information security.
The collaborative program is a result of a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Course work will focus on developing knowledge and skills in security management, threat analysis, computer and software forensics, and security tools and techniques. The new degree program will prepare graduates to fill the urgent need for trained personnel in various professional roles such as computer network security administrator, secure software development specialist or digital forensic practitioner. Whatcom will begin enrolling students fall 2013. Students will begin coursework at WWU fall 2014.
Contact WCC's Entry & Advising at (360)383-3080 or advise@whatcom.ctc.edu to get started!April 2013: Join Us For A Special Event
Special Event Invitation: WCC's 45th Anniversary Celebration
Your $50 ticket includes food, fun, wine & beer, and the right to say "I Am Whatcom" because event proceeds support student scholarships and the I Am Whatcom Fund. You can purchase your tickets online at BrownPaperTickets.com or by contacting the Foundation office at (360)383-3320.
Please join us as we toast community and the power of higher education! We hope you use the opportunity to connect with current friends, fellow alumni and past instructors. Space is limited. We recommend you RSVP soon to ensure your seat at this special event! More information available online.
March 2013: WCC Students Join All-WA Academic Team
Feature Article: Faline Jett, Troi Gale named to 2013 All-Washington Academic Team
Whatcom Community College is proud to announce that students Faline Jett and Troi (Kashia) Gale have been named to the 2013 All-Washington Academic Team. Gov. Jay Inslee recognized their academic achievement and community involvement at a recent ceremony at South Puget Sound Community College.
Faline Jett is a strong proponent for social justice with a great love for humanity. The leadership skills Faline gained from WCC's student government will help her succeed in her chosen field of aiding people in need. Faline currently works with community literacy programs to help adults acquire skills to enrich their lives, and hopes one day to work at the Smithsonian Institution as a scholar. The Manitou Springs, Colo., native graduated from WCC last fall with an Associate of Applied Science degree.
As Troi (Kashia) Gale progressed through her academic transfer degree in anthropology at WCC, she experienced a strong sense of community here. The inspiration and support from her professors and fellow students gave her the skills and confidence to go further with her goals and education, like being accepted into WWU's Fairhaven College last fall. The Bellingham native volunteers as an advocate for domestic violence and assault survivors, works at the local public library, and assists her disabled mother. Her ultimate goal is to open a resource and advocate center for low-income families.
February 2013: WCC Presents Guys & Guts and But is it Art?
Feature Article: Linda Lambert Honored with Judy Hoover Award
January 2013: WCC's Chart-topping GPAs and MLK Day
Feature Article: Orcas Recognized for Top GPAs
Earlier this month, WCC athletics was recognized for their "off the chart" GPAs. WCC Director for Athletics Kris Baier was interviewed by the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges about the Orcas' success on and off the courts and fields.
While the last few seasons for WCC have been largely successful, notably in both men's and women's soccer and basketball, NWAACC.org writer John William Howard said the student athletes' actions in the classroom has been even more impressive. "Whatcom released some of their top GPA athletes earlier this month, and the numbers are off the charts," wrote Howard. "Thirty-one of around 80 student athletes averaged 3.5 or higher, with six athletes achieving a 4.0, and all five of Whatcom's programs (teams) finished fall term with a better than 3.07 average, with a 3.42 average overall."
Baier gave much of the credit for what he called a "culture of achievement" to the collaboration among coaches, academic advisers and student athletes, and to techniques like study tables and tutors.
Congratulations to the student athletes and the entire athletic program! Read the full story at NWAACC.org.
December 2012: TAG Award and Gifting WCC Classes
Feature Article: WCC Students Compete in Math League
Each year, the American Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges (AMATYC) sponsors a nationwide math competition for students in community and technical colleges. The competition consists of two one-hour exams in the fall and spring that cover material at the pre-calculus level.
The first round of the 2012-2013 AMATYC Student Math League was held in October in WCC's Laidlaw Center, and Whatcom had 15 student competitors. These students will go on to the next round this spring, competing against more than 8,000 students nationwide from more than 165 colleges. The student with the highest combined score in the nation from rounds one and two will be recognized at the annual awards ceremony in June. They will also be awarded a grand prize scholarship of $3,000 to be used to continue his or her education at an accredited four-year institution.
"Events like the student math league give students the opportunity to explore mathematics outside the classroom," says WCC math faculty Johnny Hu who helped promote the event around campus. "It's also an important part of the mission of the WCC Math & Science Club: to support students in their desire to learn math and science through education, service and events."
Student math league competitors should not overlook WCC -- in 2001, our team (top 5 scores) placed 9th in the nation. Good luck mathematicians!
November 2012: WCC's The Spitfire Grill and King Tut
Feature Article: Success on Stage: WCC's "The Spitfire Grill"
This week, the WCC drama and music departments completed their run of the popular musical, "The Spitfire Grill," performed in Heiner Theatre. The Spitfire Grill, directed by Shawn Fuller, featured some of Whatcom's most beautiful voices, a small musical ensemble, and set design by stage technician Russ Nelson. Thank you to all who supported the show!
You may never get a front row seat at a live taping of American Idol, but you can catch emerging young talent in person at the next WCC drama production.
"It's great when community members attend our shows because their feedback is invaluable for students," says drama instructor Gerry Large, who has an MFA in acting and a PhD in theater and drama. Faculty and students direct, act and design three to four productions a year at Whatcom. The College will also host their annual Student Playwrights Festival in the spring. To see what's up next on stage for WCC, click here.
October 2012: Math with Ed and WCC Transfer Fair
Feature Article: Do You Remember Math with WCC's Ed Harri?
WCC recently announced that Ed Harri has been appointed as WCC's Dean for Instruction. Ed began teaching Math at Whatcom in 1999, and for the past three years he has served as Division Chair for the Science and Math Division. As part of this new role, Ed will oversee accreditation, faculty evaluation, assessment and enrollment management. Ed is also involved in Whatcom's Achieving the Dream Initiative, which is dedicated to helping WCC better serve underrepresented student populations and, ultimately, increase student completion.
Ed said the transition into Dean was not a difficult one, because he enjoyed the administrative aspects in his role as Division Chair. He said he will, however, miss the daily interaction with students. When asked about what coaxed him out of the classroom and into the new position, Ed commented, "I didn't want to leave the classroom. I loved being chair of the Science and Math Division. I knew I would miss that, but now I hope to help the College by taking on a larger role." Although Ed will miss teaching students in the classroom, he is excited to "impact things on an institutional level."
September 2012: WCC's New Health Professions Education Center
Feature Article: Partnerships Lead to New Health Center for WCC
WCC is committed to forming partnerships, increasing entrepreneurial efforts, and continuing an emphasis on student access and achievement. The College strives to deliver cutting-edge, relevant education for its students, and the recent announcement of the Foundation's innovative partnership with local developers is a great example.
The WCC Foundation will lease, and, subsequently, sub-lease to the College, a Health Professions Education Center under construction in the Cordata Business Park near WCC's campus. Once construction is complete next fall, Whatcom's Nursing and Allied Health programs will relocate to the facility, freeing up existing classrooms and labs for use by other critical disciplines. Project developers are Dawson Construction, Blossom Management Corporation and Integrated Real Estate Management Inc. (IRM Inc.). The team hired Zervas Group Architects to design the structure that Dawson will build, and Whidbey Island Bank is financing the project.
Whatcom has worked for years to identify a capital solution to address the need for more classrooms and specifically the need for well-appointed lab space. The partnership enables the College to immediately address capacity and equipment issues rather than being completely dependent upon the state's capital budget process. Read the full press release here.